Pakistani singer Ali Sethi’s desi Coachella look called ‘not manly enough’; fans defend him

Pakistani singer Ali Sethi wowed audiences during the second weekend of Coachella, one of the largest music festivals in the world, singing to a packed tent of festival-goers. He spoke about the performance in an Instagram post, writing how there can be “no representation without inclusion.” Apart from his music, Ali Sethi has also been pushing boundaries, when it comes to men’s fashion. In fact, his desi Coachella look grabbed attention on social media as some questioned his clothes for not being ‘manly’ enough. Other’s compared him to Ranveer Singh. Also read: Ranveer Singh says he ‘felt judged’ for his flamboyant fashion sense

Sharing photos of Ali wearing a white angarkha – a traditional robe with long sleeves worn – a Twitter user asked, “What the f*** is he even wearing though?” Another person tweeted, “Yeh to baby girl hai (looks like a baby girl).” A tweet also read, “That’s similar to the abaya (women’s dress) I’m looking for omg (oh my God).” Another one wrote, “Mushkil ho raha hai isko defend karna boss (it’s getting difficult to defend him).” A person simply tweeted, “*She.” A few also compared Ali with Indian actor Ranveer Singh. A person tweeted, “Pakistan ka Ranveer Singh.” Another one wrote, “Bro thinks he’s Ranveer Singh.” A tweet also read, “Not dressed like a man…”

Ali Sethi fans were quick to respond and schooled those slamming the singer’s outfit for challenging gendered clothing. A Twitter user wrote, “Bro, your ancestors literally wore these all the time; know your roots…” Another one tweeted, “Isn’t it like the Mughals’ dress or something?” One more tweeted, “It’s called fashion, look it up sweetie.” A fan also wrote, “What happened to you guys. He’s just wearing a traditional dress.”

Ali wore an all-white ‘Mughal angarkha’ designed by Fahad Hussayn. Sharing photos from his latest Coachella performance, where he mesmerised the crowd with his combination of traditional Pakistani sounds and modern Western beats, Ali Sethi wrote in his Instagram caption, “Thank you @iamfahadhussayn for sending this Mughal angarkha in the mail, thank you @therajakumari and @leokalyan for singing with me onstage, and thank u @coachella for the cute pics (folded hands emoji). There is no representation without inclusion, and I was so thrilled to see our manifold, many-splendored family light up the gobi tent…”

Originally sung by Ali Sethi and Shae Gill, Ali’s Pasoori was the most searched song on Google in 2022. He also performed it at Coachella with Indian-American rapper Raja Kumari.